


Ishibo

by CurlyCue



Category: The Hollow (Cartoon)
Genre: Gen, Ishibo shenanigans, Teamwork, drama mostly, i guess skjfkd, magic shenanigans?, or more accurately?? the power of stealth, the reader has the power of invisibility
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-17
Updated: 2019-05-17
Packaged: 2020-03-06 17:45:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,787
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18855940
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CurlyCue/pseuds/CurlyCue
Summary: an idea as to what would've happened in episodes 4 and 5 if a teammate had invisibility and stealth powers





	Ishibo

**Author's Note:**

> Takes place at the end of Episode 4, “The Lighthouse”, and the beginning of Episode 5, “Ishibo”. Reader is written with you/your pronouns.

After Kai’s close call on the chain, it was a relief to reach the top and clamber onto the sturdy land of the miraculously floating island. Of course, the relief just had to be short-lived; once you saw how tall the monks’ temple was, your face fell into a grimace, knowing you might have to search the whole thing-- _while_ it was full of enemies, no less. Regardless, you were here now. You all gave yourselves a moment to catch your collective breath and marvel at the building before Adam broke the silence with an answer to the unspoken question lingering in the air. 

“They must keep the Ishibo inside. Come on!”

The final word had barely left his mouth when he took off in the direction of the entrance. Though he was running, you could tell he was holding back for the rest of the team’s benefit; you’d seen him move twice this speed, but there was no way you, Kai, or Mira would be able to keep up with him that way-- and right now, you were keeping up. Since the two of you had been on the same page anyway, it hadn’t taken you but a second to run after him, whereas Kai and Mira had lagged behind a moment, sharing a look between the two of them. 

Above, you hear the caw of the crows as they pass over the temple, and you consider asking Mira what they’re saying before you decide you’re probably better off not knowing. 

The doors slam open with a volume level that makes you cringe. “Adam!” You hiss, shooting him a look. He just winces and shrugs by way of apology. You’re too busy rolling your eyes at him to realize for a second when the others gasp and back away, but you do look after a moment-- and immediately, you inhale sharply and feel yourself blink out of sight. 

Your thoughts are echoed by the fear in Kai’s voice as he yells, “Demon monks!” And attempts to run out the door again, screaming. On one hand, you almost feel like it’s sensible of him to run away when you’re this outnumbered, but on the other, you want to scold him for yelling when the monks don’t seem to have noticed you. 

“Relax!” Adam’s voice interrupts your train of thought, and you watch as he grabs Kai by the torso, stopping him from running out. “They’re not real.”

“Oh,” you murmur, voice soft. So that’s why they hadn’t moved or noticed you. 

“He’s right…” The awe in Mira’s voice is almost palpable, and you turn just in time to see her tap on one’s elbow. “I think they’re made out of… clay?” 

Behind you, Kai sighs in relief, and for a moment, a little bell goes off in the back of your mind. “Wait. Clay?”

Adam is the one to answer. “Yeah, she said clay. Why? Does that mean something to you?” 

You shrug, then hum, realizing they still can’t see you. Despite the revelation that the monks are dormant, you can’t help but keep your voice down. “Kind of. I don’t know where I know it from, but I remember reading somewhere that an ancient emperor was buried with an army of terracotta soldiers in order to protect and guide him on his journey to the afterlife. His people believed that they would come to life to fight when it was necessary.”

None of them reply for a moment, until finally, Kai settles for a simple, “... Huh. Where d’you think you learned that?” 

You scoff. “Okay, Kai, what part of ‘no memories’ do you not understand?” 

Before he can reply, Mira exclaims in a stage-whisper. “Look! That must be it.” She points upward, and your gaze is directed to a gently glowing staff mounted very high up on the wall, over a throne and past the legion of clay demon monks. The boys shuffle forward to stand beside the two of you, presumably to get a better look, and as soon as they do, the door creaks shut behind them. Immediately, the windows follow suit, shutters you didn’t even see before slamming down to cover the exits as you all look around in horror. 

Around you, the others gasp, and you endeavor to stay as quiet as possible-- not hard, when you have the power of stealth. 

Your friends, on the other hand, go the other route and begin pounding on the door, yelling for someone, _anyone_ to let them out. It comes as somewhat of a surprise to you that Adam isn’t among them, but that uncertainty vanishes to be replaced with exasperation as he bellows for them to get out of the way, then begins body-slamming the door in hopes of busting it down. As you all anxiously watch him try to beat the door down, you hear a scraping noise that fills the room. Looking back, you realize that the soldiers are closer than they were before. 

Fear courses through you anew, and you lurch forward to inspect the door for some sort of locking mechanism you could try to undo, but it’s no good. When you turn away, the scraping noise happens again, and looking back, you see that they’re even closer now, and Kai is looking at them quizzically. Slightly frantic and wanting to keep your team safe, you tug the back of his shirt to pull him closer to the door, startling him. Luckily, the little yelp he lets out is covered by the shrill tone of Mira’s voice as she implores Adam to stop before he hurts himself.

Unfortunately, your friend is still spooked. “It’s me,” you whisper in his ear, and he shivers. “Don’t say anything. The monks are alive. Keep watching them and they might not move closer. They haven’t seen me, so don’t let them figure out that there’s a fourth person here. Pass it on to Mira, then Adam. I’ll get us out of this. Promise.” In response, you see him nod just a little bit, almost small enough of a gesture to be imperceptible, and he inches closer to the other two as you silently get further away in an attempt to get an outside view of the situation. 

You’re hardly ten feet away before you hear Kai scream and the others gasp-- but the sounds are overshadowed by that of the army of monks moving again, and this time, their leader steps out of the shadows, laughing. 

_Akuma…_ you think to yourself, barely restraining a growl. 

“You don’t want to hurt yourself,” he declares, a spooky sort of self-assurance in his tone. The confidence he exudes when he walks through the sea of monks is unsettling, to say the least. “Leave that to us.”

The statement brings chills racing over your skin and down your spine, and you’re clearly not the only one feeling the effects of it, because almost immediately, Kai is pounding on the door and frantically yelling, “Let us out, let us out, let us out!” and Akuma just cackles. 

Soon enough, you’re watching the monks get distracted by their orders to lock up your friends, and you decide to seize the opportunity. Although it physically pains you to leave your friends to be captured, you figure you’d better do your best to keep the super-powerful and dangerous weapon out of the hands of the one holding them hostage, _especially_ if it’s the thing that’ll help you all get home. So, while Akuma and the monks are all centered around your friends, you silently sprint up to the throne and use the cushion as a jumping-off point, stretching your arms out as far as they’ll go in order to reach the Ishibo. 

Your fingers brush against the bottom of it, and for one terrifying moment, you think it’s about to slip through your fingers, but you catch it-- and your balance, which you nearly lost trying to catch hold of it-- at the last second, and as your fingers close around it, you will it to turn invisible, then watch reality bend to your will to make it so, much to your satisfaction. 

Of course, it’s best not to linger, so you back off the throne once you’ve got the staff-- and good thing, too, because it’s only moments before Akuma is sitting on the seat and snapping his fingers at a monk, demanding that they bring him the bag. Your heart sinks as you realize he means _your_ bag, the bag your team keeps all the supplies in-- and it only sinks further as you follow the monk’s journey with your eyes, finally landing on your friends as the monks disperse into neat rows again. They’re in a _cage,_ you realize, and you feel your blood start to boil at the unwelcome development. It doesn’t help matters that you can see all of their expressions, and none of them look good; Adam is especially quiet, even as the bag is yanked away from him, and he looks like he might be brooding. 

It’s so tempting to yank the bag out of Akuma’s hands as he rifles through it, but you know it’s a bad idea. There’s still too many enemies around, and you wouldn’t stand a chance even with the Ishibo. Your heart hurts when Mira and then Kai speak up-- but it almost hurts more that Adam doesn’t. 

“What are you gonna do to us?!”

“Is it gonna hurt?”

Akuma’s answer, of course, is infuriating. “I am not certain you want to hear the answers to your questions.” It’s insanely satisfying when he pulls out the flashlight and nearly blinds himself with it, and you have to restrain a laugh as he shouts in shock and pain. 

Then there’s another shout, and it nearly makes you jump. Adam is no longer quiet; instead, he’s seething. “Let us _**out!”**_ He growls, throwing himself against the bars. 

The leader remains unfazed. “You have trespassed and violated our sacred temple. And for that... you must be punished!”

Kai is the next to speak up, voice cracking under the pressure. “Punished? But we’re only here because…” Your heart skips a beat, and for a moment, you swear he meets your eyes before glancing back at the intimidating monk leader in front of him. He stumbles over his words, stuttering, and you’re glad he caught himself before he could out you. “Because… we’re only here because…” He trails off, and you can tell that Akuma is unimpressed, but then Kai lights up with an idea. “Because I want to be a demon monk too! That’s why. Can I get some lessons?” He clasps his hands together, and you have to restrain a laugh again. “Uh, do you have a… three-for-one special or something?” He holds up three fingers and offers up his most charming grin.

 _Good save,_ you think to yourself. _Now there’s no doubt in Akuma’s mind that there’s only three of us._

You sort of lose track of things when they start to bicker back and forth again, but your blood boils once more when you hear the phrase “worthless fool like you” pop up, directed at Kai, and then your heart almost stops entirely when you hear Kai volunteer Adam as a fighter for their freedom. You take it back-- it was a terrible save; you so badly want to snap at him, punch him in the arm and get out of here, then laugh it off later over some friendly bickering, but for now you'll just have to settle for struggling to accept the reality that Adam will be fighting the army that took down the toughest type of tree out there. 

The laughter of the monks drags you out of your horrified stupor, and you focus back in on the cage, seeing that the three of them are in the middle of a heated whisper-argument. It seems like Kai is trying to convince them the fight is a good idea, and you find yourself making your way over as the monks talk amongst themselves. 

“Kai!” You hiss, making everyone jump. “What the hell do you think you’re doing?”

Adam, being the first to recover from the fright, hisses your name back at you. “What about you? You didn’t even try to stop us from getting locked up!”

“No, I didn’t,” you admit, sheepishly. “And I’m sorry about that, but look above the throne and you’ll see what was keeping me occupied.”

Despite their irritation, none of them even think twice before looking, and you watch as the realization dawns on them, the grins taking over their faces. “You got it!” They all say in unison, and then glance over their shoulders to make sure Akuma is still busy-- although, to be fair, you'd be lying if you said you didn't do the same.

“So what’s the plan?” Mira asks, finally sounding a little excited despite herself. You can’t really blame her, to be honest; after all, this is the closest you’ve gotten to getting home since this whole mess started.

“Okay,” you begin. “It’s only the very beginnings of an idea but… I think they’ll bring you outside for the fight, because this is a sacred place. I’ll pass Adam the Ishibo, then grab the bag and work on picking the lock to get you two free while he fights. Once you’re out, we’re basically home free, right? Just gotta get off the island and back to the Ironwood tree.”

“Solid plan,” Adam mutters, thoughtfully holding his chin in his hand. “It could work.”

“Thanks, I try.” You whisper, your tone just dripping with sarcasm. He rolls his eyes, and Kai nudges his shoulder, giving him a look you don’t know how to interpret-- not that you really have the time to try. 

Soon enough, things are going according to plan-- Akuma accepts their proposition, demanding the monks wheel “the prisoners” outside and summon someone named Katsuro. Outside, you watch as the monks carry Akuma out on a throne-- one of the carriers is significantly shorter than the others, and you nearly burst out laughing at the odd angle the throne is carried at as a result. 

Then, Adam is roughly yanked from the cage, and you have to refrain from punching the clay dude in the face. Though you do manage-- just barely-- you still find yourself hovering by Adam as you all stand and wait for his opponent to show up; when you get close enough, you brush your hand against his and he does an admirable job of covering up the way he starts at the contact. As startled as he is originally, it does seem to reassure him, knowing you’re there. 

For a moment, there’s quiet, and the way your hands brush together while the wind ruffles your hair feels almost peaceful, but it doesn’t last long. Suddenly, there’s a bang, and thunderous footsteps draw your attention to a very, very large monk with a very intimidating spiked club. There’s no more peace, then; every particle of you is alight with tension, and you grab Adam’s hand, pressing the staff into his hand, but not letting go of it yet. Instead, you lean in and whisper into his ear. 

“Go. Stay safe.” An unspoken worry hangs between you. 

_I’ve got the others, but who’s got you?_

But despite yourself and all your misgivings, you say nothing, and your hand falls away from the Ishibo, turning it visible again as you dash off in the direction of the temple to retrieve the bag. You hear the gasps of outrage behind you as the monks realize that he has their most precious treasure, and you almost feel like crying when you hear Akuma order everyone to attack-- but you can't. You know you'll just have to push on and trust Adam to handle himself.

Luckily, the bag is still beside the throne, unguarded, since the monks are all outside, and you grab it up and turn it invisible without issue. The real struggle arises when you try to pick the lock on the cage. You’ve never done anything like it before, but then you have an idea and give up, much to the panic of Mira and Kai. 

“What are you doing?!” They hiss when the lock stops shaking and clicking, but a moment later, the gate swings open and they stare at it slack-jawed. 

“We had a lot of keys, so I tried a few. Obviously, one of them worked.” You explain. “Now come on! We need to get out of here. Go around the back of the temple and make your way down the chain. Adam and I will join you in a few minutes.”

**Author's Note:**

> (Sorry there's no conclusive ending! I ran out of inspiration, and I was exhausted.)
> 
> Fun fact of the day! The clay soldiers actually are a thing: they're terracotta warriors, and there's an entire army of them set up to protect the tomb of the first emperor of China, Qin Shi Huang. I first learned about it when I read the 39 Clues books a long time ago, but it was really interesting, so I looked more into it! Hopefully you also find it interesting. ^^
> 
> Here's some links if you want to know more! 
> 
>  
> 
> [National Geographic article](https://www.nationalgeographic.com/archaeology-and-history/archaeology/emperor-qin/)  
> [Wiki Page for 39 Clues: Book 8, "The Emperor's Code"](https://39clues.fandom.com/wiki/The_Emperor%27s_Code)


End file.
